By Caitlin (Forst) Bootsma, BA ’06
For Stephen White, BA ’03, accepting a position as the new executive director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., was a sort of a homecoming. Like his connection with the University of Dallas, Pope Saint John Paul II has long been an important influence in his life.
The JPII Shrine, as it is often called, was instituted as a shrine in 2014, the same year in which Pope John Paul II was canonized. It is run by the Knights of Columbus and is a place of pilgrimage for those wishing to learn more about the modern saint’s legacy and to pray for his intercession. The Shrine is located just up the road from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and not far from the Franciscan Monastery, creating what has been nicknamed a “little Rome” in Washington, D.C.
From the University of Dallas to D.C.
White comes to this leadership position at the Shrine with decades of experience working around, with and for the Catholic Church. Before that, of course, he studied at UDallas as a politics major whose interest in the philosophy and theory of politics, as well as Catholic Social Teaching, led him down his later career path. White particularly notes the influence of the late Mark Lowery, PhD, and Richard Dougherty, PhD.
After a gap year in London to spend time in vocational discernment, White came away with a very specific goal: he wanted to work for papal biographer George Weigel. While there were no immediate openings, White did eventually land a job with Weigel at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He stayed for twenty years and, among other projects, worked with the Tertio Millennio Seminar, which took him to Poland for several weeks each summer. The Seminar focuses on Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Centesimus Annus as well as other works of Catholic Social Teaching on what it means to be a free society.
The Catholic Project
In 2018, White was asked by The Catholic University of America to shepherd “The Catholic Project” which began in response to the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. In the seven years White led the program, it grew to address how the university could best support bishops, priests and seminarians.
In 2022, the Catholic Project published an extensive National Study of Catholic Priests, which “conducted a census of bishops, a nationally representative survey of priests, and in-depth interviews with priests.” The report was followed in 2025 by a survey of priests about pastoral priorities.
White notes the significance of such a study and says that after seven years working on these projects, he was ready to take his next step: back to a focus on John Paul II as the executive director of the Shrine.
“When the job was offered to me, I couldn’t say no. It's an incredible opportunity to be immersed in the thought of a man who has profoundly changed my life and shaped the world.”
What’s next at the Shrine?
White’s generation grew up with Pope John Paul II as pope. Today, White sees many lessons for the world, and particularly the next generation, through JPII’s “magisterium, his intellectual legacy, the way he shaped the expectations for the modern papacy.” Despite the significance of all of these facets of the pope’s life, White says that he is not a saint for these reasons, but because he was holy.
The legacy the pope leaves is that “If we live in a way that Christ’s love shines through us, we become more ourselves…we become something that the world needs.”
As he begins his new job, White has been asking himself how he can best promote Pope John Paul II in a way that is appropriate to a shrine.
Currently, pilgrims can come to visit and learn about the saint through a permanent exhibit as well as temporary ones, such as one about the pope and devotions to Mary and another about the pope in the Americas. There is a chapel for prayer, daily Mass and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. There is also a first-class relic of Pope Saint John Paul II.
Future plans include a retreat center in a recently purchased property adjacent to the Shrine. The hope is that the center will host self-guided retreats as well as scheduled ones about the spirituality and life of Pope John Paul II. In a part of D.C. where there are few places to stay, the new retreat center will have overnight accommodations for conferences as well.
Life with John Paul II and the University of Dallas
Just as White’s career has taken him back to Pope John Paul II, UDallas remains a significant part of White’s life. His wife is an alumna and he even has two neighbors who are also alumni.
“A big part of why I’m here is because of the education and formation [I received at UDallas]. One thing I love is that I didn’t just receive this in the classroom but outside of it – the people have been a huge part of my life for 25 years. Professionally, I wouldn’t be where I am without UD. It's an institution for which I have a profound love and a real sense of gratitude for what it's enabled me to do.”
When asked if he had to choose one of Pope John Paul II’s writings to incorporate into UDallas’ Core, he was torn. Personally, White said he loves Centesimus Annus, harkening back to his years with the Tertio Millennio Seminar. Ultimately, though, he’d choose Veritatis Splendor, which explains the Church’s moral theology, grounding reality in an understanding of the human person. “It’s absolutely critical” in today’s world, White notes and "It's something that’s a real treasure and has something to offer.”
